Gardenia
by moonmaid
Summary: A romantic gesture eventually leads to a happy beginning
1. Secret Meanings

Title: Gardenia

Author: Not An Addict

Rating: PG-13 for language

Category: Romance all the way

Pairing: Chloe/Lex

Spoilers: Pretty much anything that's aired so far is fair game, but I counted specific spoilers for Cool, Crush, Nocturne, and Dichotic.

Summary: A romantic gesture eventually leads to a happy beginning

Disclaimer: I own neither the characters, nor the show, nor the bits of poetic goodness strewn about the story. I do own Connor Maloney, and he will forever stand as a tribute to my roommate who will never ever read this story.

Author's Note: Slightly AU, because Lex has to be good for this story. Oh, and if you get confused, Lex and Chloe are already friends when this story starts. It was just easier that way. I'm posting a chapter at a time, and I'm counting on you guys to let me know if you want me to continue, or if I should not post the other chapters. I hope you enjoy! 

–Not An Addict

Chapter One: Secret Meanings

"Crap!" 

Chloe's coffee nearly spilled as she made a mad grab for the bag slipping off of her shoulder. The box of files in her arms started falling then, and after a quick scramble to grab it she stood stock still, making sure everything was balanced before she tried to move again. Her messenger bag hung from one shoulder, her laptop from another with her purse slung across her chest, and she was clutching a large box full of back files—research for her next article. All the while she was trying to hold on to the coffee that she had grabbed at the Talon before she came to school without spilling it all over herself. 

"Why, why couldn't you have just made two trips, Chloe?" she grumbled to herself. She always did this, and no matter how many times she ended up berating herself for it she never seemed to learn. She shot a glance towards the door to the Torch office. Only a few more feet. If she just walked very carefully, she would make it there fine. Taking a deep breath to steady herself she stepped forward, only to pause again before she had taken two steps. Her head tilted slightly to the side as she sniffed cautiously, a puzzled frown settling over her features. 

"What the hell…?" 

She sniffed again. Yes, there it was: floating above the common high school smells—the sweat, perfume and leftover food masked by the sharp smell of disinfectant floor cleaner—was the sweet scent of fresh flowers. Her curious mind mulling that over, she crossed the last few feet to the office and juggled her load around until she was able to open the door. The stronger smell didn't even register as she concentrated on holding the door with a complex series of foot and hip maneuvers. Three steps into the room, however, her eyes finally lifted. What they saw froze her to the spot and she stood gaping, her eyes wide and her jaw hanging; she didn't even notice the box slipping from her grasp until she jumped at the loud bang it made when it hit the floor.

"Shit!" Her coffee had sloshed through the to-go lid when she jumped and now it was dripping from her hand onto the floor. Grabbing a Kleenex from the shelves by the door Chloe absentmindedly wiped at her skin as she surveyed the room, finally aware now of where the smell of flowers was coming from.

The entire room was filled with clusters of gardenias. Vases and bowls loaded almost to overflowing, as well as paper-wrapped bouquets, crowded every available surface. Everywhere she looked she was met with their full white flowers and glossy leaves, and their fresh scent saturated the air in every breath she took. 

Chloe stepped farther into the office, letting her bags drop unheeded from her shoulders. Her fingers ran over the soft petals without conscious thought. The shock finally got the better of her and she sat down in her desk chair, unable to do much more than look around in amazement. 

"Jeez, Chlo, are you trying to kill some...?" Clark trailed off as he steadied himself after almost tripping over the box when he came in, his gaze taking in the display. Chloe looked up at him with a dazed expression that Clark couldn't help but find funny.

"Hey Clark." She moved her arms in broad sweeps, gesturing vaguely around her. "Look what I found."

Clark was still trying to smother his laughter when Lana walked in with a colorful disk held out in front of her. 

"Chloe, I have my arti—" In what was quickly becoming the theme of the morning, she stopped mid-sentence and stared around the room, her mouth hanging open. The sight brought Chloe out of her trance and the corners of her mouth turned up when she caught Lana's eye.

"What's the matter, Lana? Haven't you ever seen a high school newspaper office full of flowers before?"

Pulling her mouth into a mischievous grin, Lana responded, "Oh sure, but I thought roses were usually the flower of choice."

"Yeah, that is weird," Chloe agreed. "Don't get me wrong, I like gardenias, but it's not like I've ever considered them my favorite flower or anything."

"Are you sure they're for you?" Clark chimed in.

Seeing the look that settled over Chloe's face, Lana whacked Clark's stomach with the back of her hand.

"Clark!" she hissed. He looked confused for a moment before he saw Chloe's fallen face and rushed to stutter out a correction. 

"I didn't mean…I just…y'know, 'cause…It's just, the guys you usually date aren't exactly the flower type," he finished lamely. 

"Clark, who else would ever get their flowers sent to the Torch office?" Lana demanded, hands on hips. 

Glancing back an forth between the two girls, both of whom were now glaring at him from the same menacing position, he decided that the first rule of getting yourself out of a hole was to stop digging. "I think it's great, Chloe."

"Thank you, Clark," she nodded stiffly. "Besides, they might not even be from a guy; maybe they have something to do with something I wrote for the Torch."

He looked as if her was going to say something else, but the bell for first period rang and they all headed out to their classes. 

All day, Chloe kept going over things in her head, trying to dredge up answers. She found herself spacing out several times in class, remembering how it had felt to walk into the office and see all of those flowers. Finally it was time for lunch and she hurried to the cafeteria, anxious to talk to her friends. Once they had all gathered around the table and Pete had been filled in, on the condition that he wasn't allowed to tease her, Chloe jumped right in.

"Ok, so someone sends me flowers, that's great, but what I still haven't figured out—aside from who—is why did they send me gardenias? That seems like a fairly random choice. So, you think, maybe whomever they're from was just going for quantity. But in that case, why not go for roses? They're traditional, recognizable, etc. What I figure is that they must mean something. You know, like every type of flower has some kind of meaning attached to it. What we need to find out is what on earth gardenias are supposed to stand for. Any thoughts?"

Once they managed to digest Chloe's rapid-fire stream of words, the other three all shook their heads. 

"Oh!" Lana said suddenly. "When Nell owned the flower shop she had all these books on flowers there, and I remember there was this huge one that had information on like every flower in existence, including symbolic meaning. I think she included the books when she sold the shop, so..."

"Maybe they're still there," Chloe finished excitedly.

"How about if I help you load everything into your car after school, and then we can head over there? I can be a couple of minutes late for work, and the Talon's right next door anyway."

"Thanks, Lana," Chloe replied. Now she just had to wait out the rest of the day. Hopefully the flower shop would turn up some kind of a clue as to what was going on.

**************************************

The little bell over the door tinkled cheerfully as Lana and Chloe pushed their way into the shop. Getting the flowers loaded had taken forever, even with the two of them making several heavily-laden trips. For her part, Chloe wasn't looking forward to unloading them on her own when she got home. She shook her head, not wanting to think about it. Instead she looked around for someone to help them, and was surprised at who she found.

"Connor?" The tall boy turned around at the sound of her voice and smiled in greeting. "What are you doing here?"

"Hey, Chloe. My parents bought this place from Lana's aunt; I help out here sometimes after school. What about you? Didn't you get your fill of flowers today?" he teased, his eyes sparkling. Chloe groaned.

"Oh, god, is that all over school now?"

"Well, it was kind of hard to miss. On the up side, the hallway outside of the Torch doesn't smell like feet anymore," he offered. Chloe laughed at that, and he continued. "Speaking of the Torch, actually, I wanted to thank you for not making me sound like a complete moron in that article you wrote. I'd heard your editorials could be pretty hard on jocks."

"Yeah, well, Clark would flay me alive if I badmouthed one of his teammates," Chloe grinned. "Besides, you didn't sound anywhere close to moronic. Two-time state freestyle champion—you must've been a seasoned interview pro at your old school."

"I guess I did a couple," he admitted. Chloe couldn't help but notice that when he blushed it started at the roots of his sandy blonde hair. It was cute. Deciding to take mercy on him, Chloe changed the subject.

"Lana and I are here for a book she thinks her aunt might have left," she started, just before Lana called to her from the front of the shop.

"Chloe! I found it."

She hurried over to where Lana was standing with Connor's father, leafing through an absolutely enormous book. Chloe waited impatiently until they finally reached the appropriate page and Lana ran her finger down it until she reached the entry marked "MEANING." Eyebrows raised, she turned to Chloe, grinning mischievously at her.

"Well, Chloe, it seems the message that your mystery man was trying to send you is, 'I love you in secret.'" Chloe felt her face growing warm at everyone's combined attention being focused on her, until Connor's voice broke through her embarrassment.

"Was there a card?"

The girls looked at each other, and Lana's face reddened to match Chloe's.

"Um, we kind of haven't looked yet...gotta go," Chloe mumbled, and they sped out the door. Running the few feet to her car, the two girls started searching through the river of flowers piled in the backseat. 'Great, Chloe, don't even think to look for a card,' she mentally scolded herself. 'I thought you were supposed to be a reporter.'

"Jackpot!" Lana's voice rang out. She stepped back around the car to the sidewalk and handed Chloe the small envelope with her name printed clearly on it. 

Hands trembling slightly, Chloe began to open the envelope but stopped, glancing around. Her eyes met Lana's, and by unspoken agreement they stepped into the Talon. Lana hung up her jacket and tied on an apron as Chloe perched herself on a stool. Taking a deep breath, she opened the square and pulled out a single small piece of paper. Her eyes went wide and yet another blush crept onto her cheeks when she read what was written. Lana bounced impatiently in place.

"Well?? What's it say?"

Chloe glanced up. "Um...it's a poem." Seeing that Lana wasn't going to let her get away with just that, Chloe cleared her throat nervously and began to read quietly, trying not to attract any more attention.

"If I meet 

You suddenly, I can't

speak—my tongue is broken;

a thin flame runs under

my skin; seeing nothing,

hearing only my ears

drumming, I drip with sweat;

trembling shakes my body

and I turn paler than

dry grass…"

Her face hot, Chloe looked up again to see Lana's mouth hanging open.

"Wow. I mean...wow. Can I see it?" As Chloe handed the note over, Lana thought of the poem she herself had received not long ago. "You don't think it's from Byron, do you?"

"No," Chloe shook her head. "The handwriting's completely different; besides, I think he prefers the doe-eyed, raven-haired, coffeeshop-owner type," she smirked.

"Well," Lana handed the note back, "someone obviously likes the snarky blonde reporter type," she grinned. "Chloe Sullivan, it looks like you've got a secret admirer."

****************************

TBC...


	2. Claims

Chapter Two: Claims

Chloe sipped her latte absently, relaxing into her wonderfully overstuffed seat. Rather than deal with the massive amounts of flowers currently occupying her backseat, she had opted to stay at the Talon for a while. Every now and then she would read the poem again, enjoying the thrill it sent up her spine. Something about it seemed familiar, but she couldn't quite put her finger on what. Finally she tossed the note down on the table in front of her, frustrated with herself. For heaven's sake, she was acting like a dazzled teenager. A little voice in her head felt compelled to point out that she _was _a dazzled teenager. 'That's irrelevant,' she argued with herself. 'Just because I _am_ something doesn't mean I have to act like it.' She was so absorbed in her thoughts that she didn't notice someone settling on the couch beside her.

"Hello, Chloe."

Chloe jumped in her seat, spilling coffee all over her hand for the second time that day.

"Damn it!" She turned to glare at her friend as she reached for a napkin and began to mop up the mess. "Lex, how many times do we have to have the conversation about you _not_ sneaking up on me anymore?"

"Sorry," he offered, his grin unrepentant. He gestured to her drink. "I'll buy you a new one."

"Damn right you will," Chloe snorted. Lex chuckled and flagged down a waitress. He leaned forward a bit to place his order along with Chloe's, bringing him in closer to her. As the waitress walked away, a puzzled frown marred his features.

"Why do I smell gardenias?" he asked.

Chloe rolled her eyes and leaned back into the couch. "That would be me," she told him. At his raised eyebrow she continued, "Someone sent me a boatload of them this morning, and they completely saturated the air of not only the Torch office, but now my car as well. I'll probably have the scent ingrained in my pores until I graduate."

Lex smiled in relief. "So someone sent you flowers. I was afraid Lana had ordered them for the Talon." At her curious look, he explained, "I'm allergic."

"Oh," Chloe responded, a bit deflated. 'Lex probably wouldn't have sent me something he's allergic to,' she thought, the idea oddly disappointing until she caught herself. 'Wait a minute, since when was he even on the list of possibilities?' Trying to snap herself out of that crazy train of thought, she focused on what Lex was saying.

"So I take it you don't know who sent them, then? Wasn't there a card?" His gaze followed Chloe's as she involuntarily glanced over at the note sitting on the table. Their eyes met, and since he was already sitting up while she was leaning back, he managed to grab the envelope before she could snatch it away. 

"Lex! Give it back!" She lunged for it and Lex leaned back slightly, holding his arm above his head. Chloe leaned forward with him, still reaching for the note, and he kept his arm outstretched, enjoying the feeling of her body pressed up against his. After several minutes of trying unsuccessfully to regain her property, Chloe gave up and leaned back into her seat, a resigned, if irritated, expression on her face.

"Fine, fine, read it. You know, it's times like this that I regret ever getting to know you better," she groused.

  
Lex merely grinned like a boy who had been told he could finally open the huge present under the Christmas tree and pulled out the note. Nervously Chloe watched his face as his eyes scanned the paper, hoping he wouldn't make fun. Finally, his eyebrows raised, he handed it back to her.

"An admirer who quotes Sappho. Impressive."

'_That's_ why it seemed familiar!' Chloe realized. She had read some of Sappho's work before—with only a few fragments of her works remaining, she had been an irresistible mystery to Chloe's curious personality. Well that was a bit of a clue there: her secret admirer was certainly well read. 

"Sappho, huh? He's right—that _is_ impressive."

She looked up at the unexpected voice and saw Connor standing in front of her with a mug of coffee and a grin. 

"Hey!" A puzzled expression crossed Chloe's face. "I thought you were helping your parents."

"They said they had everything under control," he shrugged. "I figured I'd come hang in here for a while. D'you mind if I join you?" He glanced at Lex. "Or, am I interrupting…?"

"What? Oh, no," Chloe assured him. "It's not like we were discussing our top secret plans for taking over the world or anything. Well, not right now at least. Connor Maloney, Lex Luthor."

"Mr. Luthor. Pleased to meet you." Connor held out his hand, a polite but genuine smile on his face. Lex extended his own hand to shake before gesturing at the chair on the other side of the table.

"Call me Lex. Please, have a seat." Lex's eyes narrowed imperceptibly as Connor settled his tall frame into the chair. He didn't like the way Connor was looking at Chloe; it was entirely too much like the way Clark looked at Lana when he thought she wouldn't notice. He also seemed to have Clark's inability to look someone in the eye when he was lying to them—Lex had little doubt that it had not been Connor's parents' idea for him to take off early. Unfortunately, the boy seemed genuine enough in every other regard, and he was one of those people it was almost impossible not to like immediately. In fact he was, when it came right down to it, Clark Kent with blonde hair, which made him most definitely Chloe's type. Lex frowned slightly at the thought. 

"So have you figured out who sent the flowers yet?" Connor asked as he sipped his drink. 

Chloe frowned. "No, not yet. I was hoping the note would have some kind of hint in it, but there wasn't really anything useful. Flattering," she said self-consciously, "but not very revealing."

"I'm sure that if you're meant to know who your admirer is, he'll reveal himself eventually." As he said this, Lex stretched his arm out behind Chloe in a casual yet territorial maneuver. Chloe took no notice, but Connor understood the implied meaning of the movement and a frown briefly settled over his features.

"But why not just tell me?" Chloe complained. "Why all this secrecy? Wouldn't it be easier for this guy to just say who he is and be done with it?" The two men exchanged a glance, and Connor cautiously fielded the question.

"Well, haven't you ever really liked someone but been afraid to tell them how you felt?" 

"Oh." By the expression on her face, Lex could tell that she was thinking of Clark, and although he knew she no longer harbored feelings for the farmboy, it sparked a small flame of jealousy. Just then Chloe glanced at her watch and groaned.

"I have to get home—I promised my dad I'd cook dinner tonight, and it's going to take forever to unload all of those flowers."

"I can help you," Connor offered quickly. 

"Really? Would you?" Chloe was practically bouncing at the prospect of not having to haul the load in herself. "I could give you a ride home afterwards," she offered.

"No, that's ok," he grinned. "I have a car, so I can just follow you to your house."

"Great! Thank you so much!" She turned to smirk at Lex. "Lex, you should be grateful for your allergy—it's saved you from flower duty."

"Thank heavens for small favors," he smirked right back at her, only to have it turn into a smile when she stuck her tongue out at him. 

"Well, Connor," she said in a comically haughty voice, "if you would care to accompany me, we can leave _Mr._ Luthor to his plans for world domination."

"My pleasure, m'lady." Flashing that same dazzling smile he rose and offered Chloe his arm. She took it as she stood, and made it a couple of steps before she broke down and grinned at Lex.

"See ya later, Lex. Be a doll and don't take over France without me." And with a little wave, she and Connor walked out of the Talon and left Lex sitting there, thoughtfully sipping his coffee. 

He might have an unexpected obstacle in Connor. From what Clark had mentioned of him, as well as what Lex himself had seen, Connor had all of the qualities that made Chloe fall for Clark, but with what seemed to be an added dose of chivalry. He wondered briefly if Connor could have been the one who… no, surely Clark would have known and mentioned it. Lex was fairly certain that Clark had figured out how he felt about Chloe; thankfully he hadn't yet voiced any of his suspicions. In any case, Lex knew that he couldn't afford to wait much longer—his move would have to come soon. 

Satisfied for the moment, he leaned back in his seat with a smirk. Young Connor Maloney would never have a chance.

**************************************

On the third and final load into the house Chloe trailed behind Connor, letting herself admire his long, muscular frame. One glance was enough to tell that he was a swimmer, with long, lean muscles and strong shoulders. Lex hadn't been the only one to note the similarities between Connor and Clark. But something was missing. Chloe couldn't put her finger on precisely what it was, but she just wasn't drawn to Connor the way she had been to Clark before, or the way she was to Lex now. Wait a minute. Drawn to Lex? She wasn't drawn to Lex. He was her friend, that was all. 

Maybe she just hadn't given Connor enough time. Maybe she had been hurt enough by the whole Clark debacle that she was subconsciously keeping herself from falling for that type again. 'Or maybe you know that he just doesn't measure up to Lex,' a wicked little voice whispered. No! She refused to believe that she had gone and fallen for the one person who was probably even more unattainable than Clark Kent. She liked Lex, but only as a friend. 

She followed Connor into the house, ignoring the fact that her protestations sounded hollow, even to her own ears. Well, no matter what her feelings were, she still appreciated the fact that Connor was able to carry twice as much as she could, making her job infinitely easier. The last armload of flowers was deposited in the living room, and Chloe stretched out her back as she smiled at Connor.

"Do you want something to drink before you go? We have iced tea in the fridge," she offered.

"Yeah, that'd be great, thanks. You don't mind?"

"Nah." They stepped into the kitchen where she pulled out glasses and the pitcher of tea. "Least I can do for my knight in shining armor," she said as she set his glass down in front of him. Connor grinned bashfully and downed half of the tea in one go.

"Can I ask you something, Chloe?"

"I think I can be on the receiving end of the interview process, yeah," she teased, trying to make him less nervous than he obviously already was.

"Well, you and Lex…are you two dating? I mean, I hadn't heard anything, but I thought maybe—" He cut off, alarmed, when Chloe started choking on the sip of tea she had just taken.

"Me…and Lex?" she sputtered when she was able to speak again. "No! God, no. What on earth would make you ask something like that?" 

"I just wanted to make sure I wasn't stepping on any toes when I…" he trailed off.

Chloe narrowed her eyes slightly. "When you what?"

"When I came over to sit with you guys at the Talon," he finished quickly. "You know, I didn't know if you were trying to have time alone together or something."

"Connor, believe me, there is nothing like that between Lex and me. It's not…" she searched for the right words and, unable to come up with any, just shrugged. "It's just not like that."

Connor grinned again. "Ok. I just wanted to make sure." Another gulp finished off his tea. "Well, I guess I should get going. Thanks for the tea."

"Please, I'm the one who should be thanking you." Chloe set her own glass down and led him to the front door. "Not only did I get free physical labor," she grinned widely, "I also got an editorial on how chivalry is alive and kicking in small town Kansas."

"Always pleased to assist a lady," he tipped an imaginary hat at her. Still smiling, he walked to his car; after he had climbed in he sat for a moment, staring contemplatively at her now closed front door. 

Interesting. So Lex hadn't tried to stake any kind of a claim on Chloe yet. Odd, considering his less-than-subtle body language in the Talon earlier. Well, if that's the way things stood, there was no reason not to continue with his current plan. All he had to do now was beat Lex Luthor to the punch. 

A grin settling over his face once more, Connor started up his car and began the drive home, filled with new confidence. If everything went according to plan, Lex Luthor wouldn't get the chance he seemed to be waiting for.

****************************

TBC…


	3. Questions Answered

Chapter Three: Questions Answered

"Chloe, babe, I don't think that smell is ever going to go aw—" Pete stopped halfway in the door when he noted the office full of gardenias and one very confused Chloe sitting at her desk. "Wow, déjà vu." Chloe looked up at him but didn't move from her chair.

"I'm not going crazy, am I Pete?" she asked, her voice holding just a touch of desperation. "I took these home yesterday, didn't I? I know I did—they're currently at my house, taking up half of the available space. So what are they doing back here?"

"I think these are new ones, Chlo," Pete responded slowly as he tried to hold back his laughter. 

"Ok," she nodded. "Ok, just making sure." Her eyes slowly focused again, then narrowed slightly. "Well, if this is a new bunch of flowers, then there must be a new one of…"

Pete watched, bemused, as Chloe jumped up and began rooting around in the fragrant flowers. After only a few moments she straightened and triumphantly held up a small white envelope.

"These!" she finished. With a jubilant expression she plopped back down in the chair and quickly opened the envelope. Her eyes scanned the paper several times before her eyes lit up with a look that Pete recognized well. This was Chloe hot on the trail of a story.

"Well, that certainly answers that question," she murmured to herself.

"What question? What's it say?" Chloe looked surprised, as if she had forgotten Pete was in the room. After a moment, however, she smiled.

"The question of why all the secrecy." She glanced back down at the paper and started to read.

"Who, if I cried out, would hear me among the angels' 

hierarchies? And even if one of them pressed me

suddenly against his heart: I would be consumed

in that overwhelming existence. For beauty is 

nothing

but the beginning of terror, which we still are just

able to endure,

and we are so awed because it serenely disdains 

to annihilate us. Every angel is terrifying."

She smiled again, this time in self-satisfaction. "I think I know who it is."

Pete waited a beat. "Well don't keep me in suspense, Chloe. Who is it?"

"I think it's Connor." Seeing Pete's surprised expression, she continued. "Let's look at the evidence." Chloe reached into her backpack and pulled out a small notebook, which she opened to a marked page; from where he was standing he could see carefully written notes detailing what had happened since she had made her discovery yesterday. When she caught his amused look, she looked slightly embarrassed.

"Shut up. I'm a reporter—this is how I work." Her eyes scanned the page until she found what she was looking for. Without taking her eyes from her notes, she held up a finger.

"One: I have a strong suspicion—from body language and whatnot—that one Mr. Connor Maloney has a bit of a crush on me. Two," another finger went up, "his parents own a flower shop." A third finger. "Three: He said something yesterday that's similar enough to what's in this note to warrant closer investigation. And finally," her gaze finally rose to pin Pete's, "he accidentally let something slip that gave me the distinct impression that he was planning something he didn't want to tell me about yet. What all of this adds up to, my friend, is a chief suspect."

The bell rang and they both grabbed their bags to head to class. Halfway there, Chloe turned to Pete, looking nervous.

"What do you think, Pete? Do you think it might be him?"

"Seems like the most likely candidate. And I've definitely caught him scopin' you out a few times." He knew his teasing was working when a blush started staining her face. By that time they had almost reached her classroom. "One thing's for sure—he'd be way better than the psychotic mutants you've been going with lately. Catch ya later girl." With that he walked off to his own class, leaving her standing shocked by the doorway.

Chloe slowly made her way inside and to her seat, lost in thought. She knew Pete hadn't meant anything by it, but she wondered if maybe he wasn't right. When she thought over it, she realized that every one of the guys she had been involved with in the past few years had been some kind of unstable lunatic, often homicidal and usually with some fun meteor-induced mutation added on just for kicks. What if Connor was the same? It would certainly fit the current pattern of her life. In fact, the only guy she had been remotely attached to who didn't have any kind of weird super-human powers was Clark.

When Chloe surfaced from her thoughts the bell for lunch was ringing and she couldn't quite remember what the teacher had said in her last class…well, in any of her classes, really. The only thing she was sure of was that she had asked Clark to meet her in the Torch office to help her load the new batch of flowers into her car during lunch. With that in mind she headed that way and got there just as Clark was walking in the door.

"Hey, Clark. Um, do you mind if I ask you something before get started with the heavy lifting?" 

"Yeah, sure, no problem," he said, guiding her to a chair. He could tell something was wrong—Chloe had that smile that she only wore when she was really upset about something. "What is it, Chloe?"

"Um…this is going to sound weird, but…well, has Connor been acting weird lately? You know: exhibiting a strange green glow, growing fins, trying to attack bitter rivals, stuff like that? I know he didn't grow up here or anything so he's probably ok, but better safe than sorry, right?"

"What? Chloe, are you feeling okay?" Clark put a hand to her forehead, looking genuinely concerned. Chloe couldn't help but give a small laugh.

"I'm fine, Clark," she said, gently pushing his hand away. "It's just something that Pete said that's got me spooked, is all." At the look he gave her she sighed, knowing she wasn't going to be able to get away with that as an explanation. Taking a deep breath, she rushed on. "Ok, I think it may be Connor who's sending me the flowers, and something Pete said made me think about all the relationships I've been in recently and now I'm afraid that maybe he's some kind of psychopathic meteor mutant."

Clark just blinked, trying to process the rapid-fire stream of information; he was fairly impressed that she had managed to get all of that out in a single breath. Not sure how to respond, he simply said the first thing that came to mind.

"So you think it's Connor, huh?"

That brilliant statement earned him a slap on the arm, which he had the good sense to pretend hurt. 

"Sorry," he said sheepishly. Chloe still looked worried, so he reached out and took her hand. "Chloe, just because a guy likes you doesn't automatically make him a sociopath."

"I know that," she admitted reluctantly. "It's just that lately it seems like I'm some kind of a magnet for crazies."

Clark laughed at that. "Chlo, you are _not_ a crazy-magnet. Say it with me: 'Just because someone likes me—'"

"Doesn't make them a sociopath," she finished with him. The hint of a real smile graced her face and Clark grinned.

"Good. But, if it makes you feel any better, I haven't seen a single gill on Connor in the entire time I've known him." When that earned him a full-fledged Chloe smile, complete with rolling eyes, he pulled her to her feet. "C'mon. Let's get this garden loaded up before _it_ mutates on us."

If Chloe thought that Connor helping had gotten the job done fast, she wasn't anywhere near prepared for how quickly it went with Clark. She didn't know what kind of food his mom fed him on that farm, but she'd swear that boy could carry three times his own body weight, and he never seemed to get tired. Maybe it was from all the chores that he had to do, she mused. In any case, they finished with half of their lunch period to spare. As a thank-you, Chloe bought him what little food he'd have time to eat before their next class. 

The rest of her day went fairly smoothly. With her worries about Connor at least partially abated she was able to focus her mind on other, more pressing concerns. Concerns like letting Clark take over her customary Friday job of putting the paper to bed. He had been hounding her about it for some time, and she had finally admitted that as the assistant editor perhaps he should occasionally shoulder some of the responsibility. So, she had reluctantly agreed to let him step in once a month while she got what he termed "a well-deserved night off." 

Since there was nothing she could do about that particular situation, she had a choice during her last class of listening to her teacher drone on about the high points of the civil war, or going over the information in her notebook again. Half a second of thought later, she slipped the smaller notebook over her larger one for class notes, grateful that she sat in a much-neglected area of the room. After all, she reasoned, she had already spaced out for most of the day. She'd just pretend this was a sick day and get the notes from Pete tomorrow.

There they were, in black and white—all of the meager clues she had pieced together on her mysterious admirer. All the evidence seemed to point to Connor, but for some reason she wasn't quite satisfied. Several minutes of staring at her notes revealed only one reason for her unrest. She had hoped it was Lex, plain and simple. Lord, could she get any more pathetic? As far as idiotic crushes went, this one was in the hall of fame. Older, a millionaire used to dating supermodels, her father's boss and—once again—her friend. Maybe she was just subconsciously drawn to completely unsuitable guys. 

She looked over her notes again. Connor was a nice guy, and she was fairly sure that he liked her. Maybe she should give him a chance. If it was even him leaving the flowers, that is. The bell rang and she shot a silent thanks to the heavens. Finally, this day was over and she could get out of there, away from the confusion that her life seemed to be steeped in lately. How long was this guy going to make her wait, she wondered, before he revealed who he was?

When she made it to her locker the books that she needed weren't there; she must have left them in the Torch office. She made her way down there, holding her hands up innocently when Clark shot her a "you aren't supposed to be here today" look. 

"I'm not staying, I promise, just picking up some stuff I left." Under Clark's watchful gaze she made her way over to the table next to her desk and grabbed some books, quickly stuffing them in her bag. When her eyes fell on the top of her desk she froze in surprise, unable to do more than stare at what was sitting there.

"Chloe? What is it?" Clark made his way around the stacks of books and papers until he could see what Chloe was looking at. There, lying open, was a copy of the book she and Lana had found in the flower shop, a single red tulip and another one of the small square envelopes lying across its pages. 

Moving in slow motion, she picked up the flower and note. Her eyes traveled down the page until she came to the meaning listed for red tulips. 

__

{Tulip, Red: Declaration of love.}

She opened the envelope, her eyes not leaving the page until she had pulled out the note it contained. 

"Marvell," she murmured as she read it.

__

{Had we but world enough, and time,

This coyness, Lady, were no crime.

We would sit down and think which way

To walk and pass our long love's day…}

"That's two questions answered," she said to herself. A small smile turned up the corners of her mouth. "I guess I'll be seeing you soon."

****************************

TBC…


	4. Discovery

Chapter Four: Discovery

That afternoon found Chloe once again on the couch at the Talon with a comforting cup of hot coffee. Even her favorite drink was failing to hold her attention, however, and she sat there lost in thought, absently twirling the simple red flower between her fingers. 

"Hello, Chloe." She looked up and saw Lex Luthor settling into the chair across from her, an amused smirk on his face.

"Lex. Wow, you actually managed to approach me without scaring ten years off my life."

"A temporary slip. You have my solemn oath that it won't happen again," he responded with mock gravity that she couldn't help but laugh at.

"Having a hard time giving over the reins of power?" When she only blinked at him confusedly he continued. "The Torch?" he clarified. "I assumed you were sitting here so quietly because you were trying to calculate how long it would be until Clark called begging for the benefit of your vast experience. Honestly, I was a bit surprised when I heard you'd be letting him take charge today. You always struck me as a woman who likes to be in charge." With that proclamation he smirked and slid a leisurely glance up and down her body, the one that always managed to turn even the most innocuous statement into one charged with sexual innuendo. Flustered, Chloe gave her best shot at answering his previous statement.

"Well, this is one time I'm more than willing to let Clark take control." As soon as the words were out of her mouth she started blushing, and the single amused brow he raised did nothing to ease her embarrassment. 

Her eyes narrowed. So he wanted to play that way, did he? Fine. She waited until he took a sip of his own coffee before she continued.

"After all," she all but purred and let the flower slide suggestively down her chest, "sometimes the results are better when you relax and let someone else do all the work."

Chloe smiled evilly as Lex choked on the drink he had just taken. He looked at her and was met by a replica of the smug smirk and raised eyebrow he had shown her before. When he was sure he could speak again, he took a deep breath, weighed his odds, and shot her a wary glance.

"Truce?"

"Truce," she nodded graciously, her smirk turning into a smile. Lana approached their seats wearing a huge smile of her own.

"C'mon, Chloe. You promised I could see the note after school. Hand it over!"

"Oh yeah," she remembered, and dug out that day's first note, held between the pages of her notebook. "And for being our very best customer," she said, handing Lana both of the day's notes, "you get a two-for-one deal."

When Lana read the first note she smiled slightly and sighed wistfully at the sentiment. The second note she read several times, as Chloe had. As she looked up her eyes found the tulip the small blonde still held; Chloe saw where her gaze had fallen and she cocked the flower in a mock salute, a wry smile on her face.

"Declaration of love," was all she said. Lana glanced from the flower to the note and back again, then to Chloe. 

"Someone new?"

"No, the handwriting on the last note is the same as it has been on all the others. But I'm betting I'll be getting an answer to this whole thing sooner rather than later," Chloe nodded. "Good thing, too, since not a single one of my leads panned out."

"Leads?" Lex spoke up. Chloe nodded again.

"Well, first I tried to find records of someone who had paid for a large order of gardenias in the last few days, but that was a complete dead end. There were several orders, but the ones that weren't complete strangers were blind orders; so, either this guy grew them himself, or he paid in cash. Either way, no luck for me. Then there was the book." She glanced back to Lana. "There was a copy of your aunt's book along with the flower and note on my desk this afternoon. It's marked as belonging to the Smallville public library, but after I peeked into the library database—"

"You mean after you broke several state and federal laws by hacking into their records," Lex broke in, grinning at the annoyed look Chloe shot him. She waved her hand in dismissal.

"Semantics. Anyway, that book isn't listed in the database, which means it was probably sold at one of their book sales. They don't exactly keep thorough records on those sales, so lord only knows who bought it or when." She slouched back into the cushions. "And that officially exhausts all possibilities of concrete leads."

Lana smiled indulgently at her. "Well, I wouldn't worry." She handed back the notes. "Like you said, it looks like your mystery man won't be a mystery for much longer. I've got to get back to work; do you want a refill, Chloe?"

Chloe glanced down at her cup. To her surprise, it was almost empty. Her sensibilities warred with temptation for a few moments.

"No, thanks," she said regretfully. "I think I'll stop at one. If I were any more wired I think I'd shoot straight through the ceiling."

"All right. I'll see you at home later. Bye Lex." She moved off to another table and Chloe fell back into thought, unconsciously drawing the petals of the tulip across her face. Lex watched for a moment, entranced, before the thoughtful and slightly worried look on her face registered.

"Chloe?" She turned at the sound of his voice. "What has you so deep in thought? We've established that you're not worrying about Clark and the sanctity of your paper."

"No, it's not that. I'm just…" She rolled her eyes at her inability to articulate. "I'm worried that the guy sending me these flowers is a mutated psychotic freak who's going to end up trying to kill me. It's not funny!" she protested, seeing him trying to hold back his laughter.

"Are you sure?" he teased.

"Ok, fine, let's look at my record then. Shawn: mutated into a deep-freeze heat junkie who tried to kill me by sucking out all my body heat. Justin: singularly obsessed, revenge-crazed guy, used telekinesis to send a chainsaw after me when I found out he killed our principle. Ian: dated Lana and me at the same time until we found out he could split into two copies of himself, one of which then proceeded to try to throw me off of a dam—"

"Ok, ok," he cut her off. "What about Clark? He's never once tried to kill you."

"Point," she muttered grudgingly. "It just seems like I have no trouble spotting a crazy, homicidal freak until one of them shows interest in me. I'm like one of those women who keep dating guys who cheat on them—all the warning signs are there, but I can never see them up close. What if this guy is major bad news, and I just can't see it because I'm blinded by the big romantic gesture?" 

Lex looked at her a minute longer, then moved to sit next to her. She turned to face him, and he took her hand in his. Lord, this was going to be hard. He knew that what he was about to say might end up killing any chance he had with her, but he had to do it. For the first time in almost as long as he could remember, he wanted someone else's happiness more than his own. He looked into her eyes that were patiently waiting for him to speak.

"Chloe," he began, "you are, overall, one of the best judges of character I know, and I'm not just saying that because you're one of the few people in this town who don't think I'm Satan," he smiled when she did. "With those boys, you ignored your instincts because you were too stubborn to admit that you were wrong, and because you let yourself focus entirely on the fact that they liked you." He paused, gathering his courage for what he had to say next. "When this guy finally tells you who he is, you just have to trust your gut feeling. If you think there's something wrong with him then there probably is, and you shouldn't be with him. But if you think he's a good guy, that you could be happy with him, then you should trust yourself to be right, and you should give him a chance.

"If this guy does turn out to be someone you think you can't trust, keep in mind that Clark isn't the only one you can count on to keep you safe. But remember, just because someone likes you—"

"Doesn't make them a sociopath," she finished, then grinned at him. "Clark said the same thing. You're right, I know. I'll just have to see how I feel when he finally tells me. Right now, I think I'm gonna go home." She rolled her eyes. "I have another carload of gardenias to get into the house, and I have no idea where I'm going to put them all."

"Well, I wish you the best of luck. I have some work I still have to do myself." They both rose and walked to the door together. Before they parted towards their respective cars, Lex turned to her again. "You'll let me know if you find out anything else?"

"Of course. After all," she grinned as she walked away, "I have to keep my partner in world domination well-informed."

Lex chuckled at that and climbed into his convertible. He watched in his rearview mirror as Chloe pulled away and drove off towards her house. The choice was solidly in her hands now; he just hoped he could live with her decision.

**************************************

Chloe collapsed on the couch, tired but satisfied. Not only had she hauled all of the flowers inside by herself, but she had found a place for each and every one of them and it was only—she checked her watch—five o'clock. Her dad wouldn't be home until late and Lana was working a double shift at the Talon to cover for someone who had called in sick, so she had the house to herself for the rest of the evening. She figured she'd watch some TV, maybe take a long, hot bath and curl up with some comfy pajamas and a book completely devoid of any deep meaning whatsoever. 

Her cell phone rang, interrupting her lazy planning. With a groan she hauled herself upright and dug it out of her bag, just barely reaching it before it went to message.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Chloe, it's Clark." She smirked and leaned back into the cushions.

"You know, you were the one who insisted I take the night off. I figured you'd call eventually, but I didn't expect you to break so soon."

"No, I'm not calling about the Torch." Chloe sat up at the excitement in Clark's voice. "I think I found out who your mystery admirer is."

"What?" All thoughts of leisure forgotten, Chloe shot up off the couch and began pacing back and forth. "Well, don't just sit there grinning, Clark, tell me!"

"How did you know I was…never mind. Look, I can't tell you over the phone. Don't ask why—I just can't. Can you come up here?"

"On my way. I'll see you in five minutes." Without waiting for a response Chloe hung up and grabbed her bag. Seconds later she was out the door and in her car, heading out.

**************************************

The late-afternoon sunlight slanted through the windows, showing up in patches down the hallway as Chloe walked quickly towards the office. Each patch of light she walked through lit up the flower perched forgotten behind her ear. As she was parking in the lot outside, she had noticed a gardenia blossom lying on the floor of her car. It must have fallen off when she was carrying them inside, she mused, and had absently tucked the bloom in her hair. Her mind now, however, was completely on the answers that lay behind the door she had just reached. She burst in, ready to beat the information out of Clark if he didn't talk fast.

"Ok, Kent, start talk—" In some remote region of her mind, Chloe wondered if anyone would ever again be able to utter a complete sentence while walking through that door. She took a few steps inside and gazed around. She should have known. After the boatloads of gardenias that had shown up, it honestly didn't make any sense for whoever it was to stop at just one final flower. She took another hesitant step into the forest of red tulips, glancing from left to right.

"Clark?" she called out. 

When the voice came it came from behind her, and she turned in surprise.

"Clark couldn't make it. Will I do?"

TBC…

****************************


	5. Revelation

Chapter Five: Revelation  
  
  
  
He stepped forward, a single tulip in his hand; she automatically reached out and took it when he handed it to her. Without taking his eyes off of hers, he reached for the gardenia behind her ear.  
  
"This isn't quite true anymore," he said taking the bloom. A grin spread over his face as he brought it to his nose and inhaled its scent.   
  
Chloe's eyes narrowed. "You said you were allergic."  
  
"I lied," Lex shrugged gracefully, his eyes dancing with amusement. "I had to be sure you wouldn't figure out it was me before I was ready for you to know."  
  
"Why all this?" she asked him, bewildered. "Why not just tell me, Lex? Don't tell me _you_ were afraid of rejection."  
  
"I once told Clark that the hardest thing in the world is telling the girl you love, that you like her. At the time, I thought it was just a handy line to get him to make a move on Lana; it wasn't until recently that I knew how true it was. As for why all of this," he gestured around, "sometimes it's less frightening to make a big, dramatic gesture than it is to just say a few simple words." Chloe's brain didn't seem to be working quite right, and she struggled to form a response.  
  
"But…but I'm not even your type," she protested. Lex raised an eyebrow.  
  
"I assume you're referring to the type of women I usually date? No, Chloe, you're not at all like them. The kinds of relationships I usually have with those women are easy. You both use each other for what you want. You know that's how it works, you acknowledge it, you get what you want and you move on. It's infinitely more difficult when you actually care about the other person . . . when you actually want them to care about you back."  
  
For the first time since she could remember, Chloe Sullivan was speechless. She had the mad urge to pinch herself to make sure she wasn't dreaming—things like this just didn't happen to her. Confronted with actually getting what she had been longing for, she didn't know how to react. Of course, it didn't help that Lex was standing less than a foot from her, his obviously expensive silk shirt and tailored black pants draped sexily over his form, and his cologne drifting towards her, invading her body with every breath she took. In an effort to regain her composure, Chloe turned her back. Maybe if she weren't looking at him she would be able to form a coherent sentence or two. Lex, however, misinterpreted the movement.  
  
"I meant what I said in the Talon, Chloe." His voice was now as emotionless as he could make it, and when she turned to him again his face was a match. "If you don't think you could be happy with me . . . if you don't think you can trust me not to hurt you, then I'll understand. But I want you to know that I will always make sure you're safe, even from me." The emotionless mask he had slipped on was one perfected over a lifetime of living with his father, and only his eyes revealed a spark of his feelings as he looked at her. "Do you want me to go?"  
  
"Lex…" Chloe hoped that her powers of speech would come back someday; on the other hand, sometimes actions spoke louder than words. She closed the space between them and caught his mouth beneath hers, her hands fisting in the fabric covering his chest.   
  
This was the last thing Lex had expected, but he wasn't about to pass up the opportunity. His arms wrapped around her, pulling her even closer, and he swiftly took control of the kiss, determined to drive any lingering doubts out of her head altogether.   
  
Lord, she was drowning, and she didn't care in the least. Her arms began to creep upward, twining around his neck. He nipped at her bottom lip; when she gasped slightly, he took the opportunity to slip past her parted lips. His tongue ran over the straight line of her teeth and traced the inside of her lips, drawing a small sound from the back of her throat. He pulled away then with one small, light kiss and looked down on her slightly glazed eyes, the hint of a smirk playing around his mouth.  
  
"So should I take that as a no, then?" She met his smirk with one of her own.  
  
"You should take that as an emphatic no," she confirmed. "I just…I was a little overwhelmed by all of this, especially with everything happening over a total span of two days."  
  
"Well, I couldn't afford to wait any longer to let you know how I feel." He pulled her a bit closer and began to feather kisses along her jaw. "I must admit," he said between kisses, "when I heard that someone had asked you out last weekend, I was afraid I had lost my chance."  
  
Chloe's eyes, which had been drifting closed again, opened in her confusion. She leaned back to look into his face.  
  
"What?" She shook her head slightly. "No one asked me out." Lex looked baffled for a moment but soon narrowed his eyes as realization hit.  
  
"Clark," he said to himself with a rueful chuckle. "Never would've thought you'd have it in you." Seeing the confusion still lining Chloe's face, he chuckled again and began to explain. "Clark must have known how I felt about you, or at least suspected. When he dropped off my produce order earlier this week he casually mentioned that someone had asked you out over the weekend." He smirked again. "I suppose he was hoping it would spur me into action."  
  
"That little sneak!" Without being entirely sure why, Chloe felt vaguely affronted. "I can't believe he would make something like that up, just to—"  
  
"Chloe," Lex interrupted her rant before she could really get going, drawing her gaze up to his own pale blue eyes. "Are you really upset?" His mouth moved to the side of her head where he nipped lightly at her ear before continuing in a husky whisper, "Because I'm not."  
  
"Well, when you put it like that…" she grinned at him before pulling his lips back down to hers. His tongue ran across her bottom lip, pleading for entry, and she opened for him without hesitation. Their tongues tangled together, and when she sucked gently on the tip of his she gloried in the sound he made. Who would have thought that she could make Lex Luthor moan like that?  
  
On the other side of the door, Connor watched as the two embraced. He had arrived at the school looking for Chloe, planning on asking her out, when he had run into Clark. And even though Clark had told him about Chloe and Lex, Connor had to see for himself. Now he looked at them for a moment more before turning away. There was nothing he could do about it now—he wasn't going to betray Chloe by trying to break up a relationship that obviously made her happy. But as he walked away, he promised himself that if Luthor ever hurt her . . . he would be there.  
  
Back in the Torch office Lex and Chloe finally broke apart, heads swimming from lack of oxygen and the sensations of the kiss. Lex drew her against him, and she was more than happy to curl up against his chest as they both caught their breath. Chloe lightly licked her lips; she could still taste him on her mouth. When her breathing returned to normal, she sighed contentedly.   
  
"So what do we do now?" she asked. It took an effort, but Lex managed to push past most of the vivid images her question brought to mind.   
  
"Now," he answered, "if you're interested, we go to Metropolis for dinner." She looked up at him, surprised.  
  
"Metropolis?" A smile lit up her face only to have it quickly fall again. "I'd really love to, but my dad—"  
  
"Insists that you be back by no later than one o'clock, giving us time to drive there, have dinner, and drive back—at a reasonable speed." Chloe's eyes widened.  
  
"You talked to my dad?"  
  
"I did," he nodded. "I like your dad, Chloe. He's one of the few people in this town who doesn't treat me like a pariah, and he's been willing to give me a chance independent of my father or my last name. I respect him, and I didn't want to lose any respect he had for me. While he wasn't thrilled about the idea of his teenaged daughter dating his boss," he smiled wryly, "I did manage to convince him to let me prove myself, if you'd have me."  
  
"Ok, now I'm really impressed. You spent a small fortune on flowers, left me poetry, _and_ got my father's blessing to date his seventeen-year-old daughter. You do know he has a gun, right?"  
  
"I figured there was a good possibility." He grinned. "That's why I talked to him at work."  
  
Chloe laughed, then tilted her head at the flowers. "If we go to Metropolis, what are we going to do with these?"  
  
"Clark's going to take them to your house," he smirked. "I convinced him he owed us for so shamelessly manipulating the situation."  
  
"Good ol' Clark," Chloe laughed. "If nothing else, you have to appreciate how easy it is to guilt trip the boy." She threw another glance at the flowers around them. "But you know, you didn't have to go to such extremes to get your point across," she teased.  
  
"Hey, the last flowers I gave you, you compared to a Kentucky Derby prize. I felt I had to redeem my reputation."  
  
"Is that so? I'll have to remember to insult your taste more often if this is the result. But I think you can consider yourself well and truly redeemed." She smiled up at him. "Now, I believe you mentioned something about dinner?"  
  
"So I did." He loosened his hold on her but kept one arm wrapped around her waist as he turned and walked with her out into the fading daylight.  
  
"I was thinking," she said slowly, slipping her own arm around his waist. She shot him a mischievous grin. "We'd have more time for...dinner...if we sped just a little bit."  
  
Lex gave a shout of laughter and kissed the top of her head as he helped her into the car, a grin of his own spread over his face.  
  
"Anything for you, Chloe."  
  
  
THE END  
  
*******************************  
  
There you go! That's the end, folks. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. I started out with this one pretty much just wanting to prove to myself that I could end a story without having the two of them falling into bed together at the end. I managed it, but boy was it a struggle--Lex in bed is not an easy thing to turn down. ^_~ Thanks again to everyone who's been reviewing. It feeds my muse, and she's much less inclined to slap me around when she's not hungry. Happy New Year, everyone! 


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